Method and system for cascaded leaky wave antennas on an integrated circuit, integrated circuit package, and/or printed circuit board

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for cascaded leaky wave antennas (LWAs) on an integrated circuit, integrated circuit package, and/or printed circuit board are disclosed and may include communicating RF signals using one or more cascaded LWAs in a wireless device. The cascaded LWAs may include a plurality of cavity heights integrated in metal layers in a multi-layer support structure which may include an integrated circuit, an integrated circuit package, and/or a printed circuit board. The cascaded LWAs may be configured to transmit the wireless signals at a desired angle from the surface of the multi-layer support structure. The cascaded LWAs may include microstrip and/or coplanar waveguides, where the cavity heights of the cascaded LWAs may be dependent on distances between conductive lines in the waveguides. A beam shape of the RF signals may be configured utilizing a frequency of a signal communicated to the cascaded LWAs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to, claims the benefit from, and claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/246,618 filed onSep. 29, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/185,245filed on Jun. 9, 2009.

This application also makes reference to:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,212 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,295 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,277 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,192 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,224 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,176 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,246 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,292 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,324 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/708,366 filed on Feb. 18, 2010;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______(Attorney Docket No. 21202US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______(Attorney Docket No. 21203US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______(Attorney Docket No. 21206US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21207US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21209US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21213US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21218US02)filed on even date herewith; andU.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21220US02)filed on even date herewith.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for cascaded leaky wave antennas on an integratedcircuit, integrated circuit package, and/or printed circuit board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobilephones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part ofevery day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by socialsituations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voiceconnections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voiceconnections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every daylife, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communicationrevolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source ofeveryday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this datawill be taken for granted.

As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline and/or mobilecommunications continues to increase, significant efforts exist withregard to making such devices more power efficient. For example, a largepercentage of communications devices are mobile wireless devices andthus often operate on battery power. Additionally, transmit and/orreceive circuitry within such mobile wireless devices often account fora significant portion of the power consumed within these devices.Moreover, in some conventional communication systems, transmittersand/or receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to otherblocks of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, thesetransmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery lifefor these mobile wireless devices.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for cascaded leaky wave antennas on an integratedcircuit, integrated circuit package, and/or printed circuit board asshown in and/or described in connection with at least one of thefigures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with cascadedleaky wave antennas on an integrated circuit and an integrated circuitpackage, which may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary single cavity leakywave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces for a leaky wave antenna, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa single cavity leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa cascaded leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of an integratedcircuit with integrated leaky wave antennas, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingvia cascaded leaky wave antennas integrated in an integrated circuit, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system forcascaded leaky wave antennas on an integrated circuit, integratedcircuit package, and/or printed circuit board. Exemplary aspects of theinvention may comprise communicating RF signals using one or morecascaded leaky wave antennas in a wireless device. The cascaded leakywave antennas may comprise a plurality of cavity heights integrated inmetal layers in a multi-layer support structure in the wireless device.The multi-layer support structure may comprise an integrated circuit, anintegrated circuit package, and/or a printed circuit board. The cascadedleaky wave antennas may be configured to transmit the wireless signalsat a desired angle from the surface of the multi-layer supportstructure. The cascaded leaky wave antennas may comprise microstripwaveguides, where the plurality of cavity heights of the cascaded leakywave antennas may be dependent on distances between conductive lines inthe microstrip waveguides. The leaky wave antennas may comprise coplanarwaveguides, where the plurality of cavity heights of the leaky waveantennas is dependent on distances between conductive lines in thecoplanar waveguides. A beam shape of the communicated RF signals may beconfigured utilizing a frequency of a signal communicated to the one ormore cascaded leaky wave antennas.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with cascadedleaky wave antennas on an integrated circuit and an integrated circuitpackage, which may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 1, the wireless device 150 may comprise anantenna 151, a transceiver 152, a baseband processor 154, a processor156, a system memory 158, a logic block 160, a chip 162, leaky waveantennas 164A-164C, switches 165, an external headset port 166, and apackage 167. The wireless device 150 may also comprise an analogmicrophone 168, integrated hands-free (IHF) stereo speakers 170, aprinted circuit board 171, a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil 174, adual digital microphone 176, a vibration transducer 178, a keypad and/ortouchscreen 180, and a display 182.

The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and upconvertbaseband signals to RF signals for transmission by one or more antennas,which may be represented generically by the antenna 151. The transceiver152 may also be enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RFsignals to baseband signals. The RF signals may be received by one ormore antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna 151,or the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. Different wireless systems may usedifferent antennas for transmission and reception. The transceiver 152may be enabled to execute other functions, for example, filtering thebaseband and/or RF signals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RFsignals. Although a single transceiver 152 is shown, the invention isnot so limited. Accordingly, the transceiver 152 may be implemented as aseparate transmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there may bea plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In thisregard, the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers mayenable the wireless device 150 to handle a plurality of wirelessprotocols and/or standards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wirelesstechnologies handled by the wireless device 150 may comprise GSM, CDMA,CDMA2000, WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH,and ZigBee, for example.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to process basebandsignals for transmission via the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandsignals received from the transceiver 152. The processor 156 may be anysuitable processor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type ofintegrated circuit processor. The processor 156 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control theoperations of the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Forexample, the processor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modifyprogrammable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components,devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or thebaseband processor 154. At least a portion of the programmableparameters may be stored in the system memory 158.

Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmableparameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wirelessdevice 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156. Similarly, theprocessor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/or datainformation, which may include the programmable parameters, to otherportions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may bepart of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to store a plurality ofcontrol and/or data information, including parameters needed tocalculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency value and/orgain value. The system memory 158 may store at least a portion of theprogrammable parameters that may be manipulated by the processor 156.

The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may enable controlling of variousfunctionalities of the wireless device 150. For example, the logic block160 may comprise one or more state machines that may generate signals tocontrol the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. The logicblock 160 may also comprise registers that may hold data forcontrolling, for example, the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandprocessor 154. The logic block 160 may also generate and/or store statusinformation that may be read by, for example, the processor 156.Amplifier gains and/or filtering characteristics, for example, may becontrolled by the logic block 160.

The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable transmission and reception ofBluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor 163 may enable processingand/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BTradio/processor 163 may process or handle BT signals received and/or BTsignals transmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BTradio/processor 163 may also provide control and/or feedback informationto/from the baseband processor 154 and/or the processor 156, based oninformation from the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor 163may communicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals tothe processor 156 and/or to the system memory 158. Moreover, the BTradio/processor 163 may receive information from the processor 156and/or the system memory 158, which may be processed and transmitted viathe wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example

The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s),and/or code that may process audio signals received from and/orcommunicated to input/output devices. The input devices may be within orcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device 150, and may comprise theanalog microphone 168, the stereo speakers 170, the hearing aidcompatible (HAC) coil 174, the dual digital microphone 176, and thevibration transducer 178, for example. The CODEC 172 may be operable toup-convert and/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequenciesfor processing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172may enable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable utilizing aplurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC 172 mayaccept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz.The CODEC 172 may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources.For example, the CODEC 172 may support audio sources such as generalaudio, polyphonic ringer, I²S FM audio, vibration driving signals, andvoice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sourcesmay support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 isenabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of theplurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example.

The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functionalblocks integrated within, such as the transceiver 152, the processor156, the baseband processor 154, the BT radio/processor 163, and theCODEC 172. The number of functional blocks integrated in the chip 162 isnot limited to the number shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, any number ofblocks may be integrated on the chip 162 depending on chip space andwireless device 150 requirements, for example. The chip 162 may beflip-chip bonded, for example, to the package 167, as described furtherwith respect to FIG. 8.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may comprise a resonant cavity with ahighly reflective surface and a lower reflectivity surface, and may beintegrated in and/or on the package 167. The lower reflectivity surfacemay allow the resonant mode to “leak” out of the cavity. The lowerreflectivity surface of the leaky wave antennas 164 may be configuredwith slots in a metal surface, or a pattern of metal patches, asdescribed further in FIGS. 2 and 3. The physical dimensions of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C may be configured to optimize bandwidth oftransmission and/or the beam pattern radiated. By integrating the leakywave antennas 164A on the chip 162, wireless signals may be communicatedbetween various regions of the chip 162 as well as to devices externalto the chip 162.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas164A-164C may comprise a plurality of leaky wave antennas integrated inand/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or printed circuit board171. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmitand/or receive wireless signals at or near 60 GHz, for example, due tothe cavity length of the devices being on the order of millimeters. Theleaky wave antennas 164A-164C may comprise sections with differentcavity heights. Communicating the same signal to the two resonantcavities, a different beam shape may be transmitted by the two sectionsof the leaky wave antenna, as described further with respect to FIGS.4A, 4B, and 5. In this manner, adjacent resonant cavities may transmit asignal in a single direction, thereby increasing signal strength.

The switches 165 may comprise switches such as CMOS or MEMS switchesthat may be operable to switch different antennas of the leaky waveantennas 164A to the transceiver 152 and/or switch elements in and/orout of the leaky wave antennas 164A, such as the patches and slotsdescribed in FIG. 3.

The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical connection for anexternal headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert themto electrical signals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. Theelectrical signals generated by the analog microphone 168 may compriseanalog signals that may require analog to digital conversion beforeprocessing.

The package 167 may comprise a ceramic package, a printed circuit board,or other support structure for the chip 162 and other components of thewireless device 150. In this regard, the chip 162 may be bonded to thepackage 167. The package 167 may comprise insulating and conductivematerial, for example, and may provide isolation between electricalcomponents mounted on the package 167.

The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that may beoperable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received fromthe CODEC 172. The HAG coil 174 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner,electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes ahearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via aspeaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and converting the generatedsound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, andsubsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user's ear, forexample.

The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves andconvert them to electrical signals. The electrical signals generated bythe dual digital microphone 176 may comprise digital signals, and thusmay not require analog to digital conversion prior to digital processingin the CODEC 172. The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamformingcapabilities, for example.

The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable notification of an incomingcall, alerts and/or message to the wireless device 150 without the useof sound. The vibration transducer may generate vibrations that may bein synch with, for example, audio signals such as speech or music.

In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise theprogrammable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of thewireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/ordata information, which may include the programmable parameters, toother portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, whichmay be part of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate with theprocessor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control signals.Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the processor 156.The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and control information viathe system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may up-convert and/or down-convertthe frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desiredsampling rate.

The leaky wave antennas 164A may be operable to transmit and/or receivewireless signals between regions of the chip 162 and/or to and from thechip 162 to leaky wave antennas in other structures such as the leakywave antennas 164B and 164C in the package 167 and the printed circuitboard 171, respectively. Resonant cavities may be configured betweenreflective surfaces in and/or on the chip 162 so that signals may betransmitted and/or received from any location on the chip 162 withoutrequiring large areas needed for conventional antennas and associatedcircuitry. Coplanar waveguide structures may be utilized to enable thecommunication of signals in the horizontal direction within the chip162.

The frequency of the transmission and/or reception may be determined bythe cavity height of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. Similarly, thebeam shape of the transmitted signal may be a function of the frequencyof the feed signal as compared to the resonant frequency of the cavity.Accordingly, the reflective surfaces may be integrated at differentheights in adjacent sections resulting in a cascaded leaky wave antenna.By feeding a signal to the sections of the cascaded leaky wave antenna,a beam shape may result with increased signal in a desired directionfrom the leaky wave antennas, as compared to a single resonant cavityleaky wave antenna.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary single cavity leakywave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown the leaky wave antennas 164A-164Ccomprising a partially reflective surface 201A, a reflective surface201B, and a feed point 203. The space between the partially reflectivesurface 201A and the reflective surface 201B may be filled withdielectric material, for example, and the height, h, between thepartially reflective surface 201A and the reflective surface 201B may beutilized to configure the frequency of transmission of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C. In another embodiment of the invention, an air gapmay be integrated in the space between the partially reflective surface201A and the reflective surface 201B to enable MEMS actuation. There isalso shown (micro-electromechanical systems) MEMS bias voltages,+V_(MEMS) and −V_(MEMS).

The feed point 203 may comprise an input terminal for applying an inputvoltage to the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. The invention is notlimited to a single feed point 203, as there may be any amount of feedpoints for different phases of signal or a plurality of signal sources,for example, to be applied to the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C.

In an embodiment of the invention, the height, h, may be one-half thewavelength of the desired transmitted mode from the leaky wave antennas164A-164C. In this manner, the phase of an electromagnetic mode thattraverses the cavity twice may be coherent with the input signal at thefeed point 203, thereby configuring a resonant cavity known as aFabry-Perot cavity. The magnitude of the resonant mode may decayexponentially in the lateral direction from the feed point 203, therebyReducing or Eliminating the Need for Confinement Structures to the Sidesof the Leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. The input impedance of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C may be configured by the vertical placement ofthe feed point 203, as described further in FIG. 6.

In operation, a signal to be transmitted via a power amplifier in thetransceiver 152 may be communicated to the feed point 203 of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C with a frequency f. The cavity height, h, may beconfigured to correlate to one half the wavelength of a harmonic of thesignal of frequency f. The signal may traverse the height of the cavityand may be reflected by the partially reflective surface 201A, and thentraverse the height back to the reflective surface 201B. Since the wavewill have traveled a distance corresponding to a full wavelength,constructive interference may result and a resonant mode may thereby beestablished.

Leaky wave antennas may enable the configuration of high gain antennaswithout the need for a large array of antennas which require a complexfeed network and suffer from loss due to feed lines. The leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/or receive wirelesssignals via conductive layers in and/or on chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171. In this manner, the resonantfrequency of the cavity may cover a wider range due to the larger sizeof the package 167, compared to the chip 162, without requiring largeareas needed for conventional antennas and associated circuitry.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a leaky wave antennacomprising a plurality of cavity heights may be configured such thatadjacent sections may transmit signals in the same direction when fedwith the same input signal.

In another embodiment of the invention, the cavity height, h, of eachsection may be configured by MEMS actuation. For example, the biasvoltages +V_(MEMS) and −V_(MEMS) may deflect one or both of thereflective surfaces 201A and 201B compared to zero bias, therebyconfiguring the resonant frequency and thus a direction of transmissionof the cavity for the same input signal.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces for a leaky wave antenna, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is showna partially reflective surface 300 comprising periodic slots in a metalsurface, and a partially reflective surface 320 comprising periodicmetal patches. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may comprisedifferent embodiments of the partially reflective surface 201A describedwith respect to FIG. 2.

The spacing, dimensions, shape, and orientation of the slots and/orpatches in the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be utilized toconfigure the bandwidth, and thus Q-factor, of the resonant cavitydefined by the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 and a reflectivesurface, such as the reflective surface 201B, described with respect toFIG. 2. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may thus comprisefrequency selective surfaces due to the narrow bandwidth of signals thatmay leak out of the structure as configured by the slots and/or patches.

The spacing between the patches and/or slots may be related towavelength of the signal transmitted and/or received, which may besomewhat similar to beamforming with multiple antennas. The length ofthe slots and/or patches may be several times larger than the wavelengthof the transmitted and/or received signal or less, for example, sincethe leakage from the slots and/or regions surround the patches may addup, similar to beamforming with multiple antennas.

In an embodiment of the invention, the slots/patches may be configuredvia CMOS and/or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches, such asthe switches 165 described with respect to FIG. 1, to tune the Q of theresonant cavity. The slots and/or patches may be configured inconductive layers in and/or on the chip 162 and may be shorted togetheror switched open utilizing the switches 165. In this manner, RF signals,such as 60 GHz signals, for example, may be transmitted from variouslocations in the chip 162 without the need for additional circuitry andconventional antennas with their associated circuitry that requirevaluable chip space.

In another embodiment of the invention, the slots or patches may beconfigured in conductive layers in a vertical plane of the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, thereby enabling thecommunication of wireless signals in a horizontal direction in thestructure.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa single cavity leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 4A, there is shown a leaky wave antennacomprising the partially reflective surface 201A, the reflective surface201B, and the feed point 203. In-phase condition 400 illustrates therelative beam shape transmitted by the leaky wave antennas 164A-164Cwhen the frequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203matches that of the resonant cavity as defined by the cavity height, h,and the dielectric constant of the material between the reflectivesurfaces.

Similarly, out-of-phase condition 420 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antenna 164A-164C when the frequencyof the signal communicated to the feed point 203 does not match that ofthe resonant cavity. The resulting beam shape may be conical, as opposedto a single main vertical node. These are illustrated further withrespect to FIG. 5. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be integratedat various heights in the chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171, thereby providing a plurality of transmission andreception sites in the chip 162 with varying resonant frequency. Inaddition, a coplanar structure may be utilized to configure leaky waveantennas in the chip 162, thereby enabling communication of wirelesssignals in the horizontal plane of the chip 162.

By configuring the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals possessing different characteristicsmay be directed out of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or printedcircuit board 171 in desired directions. In an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, the angle at which signals may be transmitted by a leakywave antenna may be dynamically controlled so that signal may bedirected to desired receiving leaky wave antennas. In another embodimentof the invention, the leaky wave antennas 164 may be operable to receiveRF signals, such as 60 GHz signals, for example. The direction in whichthe signals are received may be configured by the in-phase andout-of-phase conditions.

In an embodiment of the invention, a cascaded leaky wave antennacomprising a plurality of cavity heights may be configured such thatadjacent sections may transmit in the same direction when fed with thesame input signal. By communicating a feed signal at a specificfrequency with sections of a leaky wave antenna of different cavityheights, the transmitted beam shape from each section may be different,thereby allowing the tuning of beam shape with enhanced signal strengthfrom a cascaded leaky wave antenna.

FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa cascaded leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 4B, there is shown a cascaded leaky waveantenna 440 comprising a plurality of cavity heights, h₁, h₂, and h₃configured by the reflective surface 201B and the partially reflectivesurface 201A, and feed points 403A-403C. There is also shown a feedsignal 401.

By utilizing a plurality of cavity heights in a cascaded leaky waveantenna, the transmitted, or received, beam shape may be configured withenhanced output signal strength. For example, by utilizing a single feedsignal 401 to feed each cavity height section, the resulting beam shapesmay be different for the sections due to the different resonantfrequencies. For the cavity height, h2, that corresponds to the feedsignal 401, the signal may be directed essentially vertically out of thesurface of the cascaded leaky wave antenna 440. Conversely, for thecavity heights above and below h₂, the beam shape may be conical inshape, with a signal strength maximum away from vertical. In thismanner, the signal strength above the h₂ cavity height section of thecascaded leaky wave antenna may be increased.

The cascaded leaky wave antenna 440 is not limited to the number ofcavity heights shown or to the exemplary configuration shown.Accordingly, any number of cavity heights and arrangements may beutilized to result in increased signal strengths in desired directions,or an array of transmitted beams, for example.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a plot500 of transmitted signal beam shape versus angle, Θ, for the in-phaseand out-of-phase conditions for a leaky wave antenna.

The In-phase curve in the plot 500 may correlate to the case where thefrequency of the signal communicated to a leaky wave antenna matches theresonant frequency of the cavity. In this manner, a single vertical mainnode may result. In instances where the frequency of the signal at thefeed point is not at the resonant frequency, a double, or conical-shapednode may be generated as shown by the Out-of-phase curve in the plot500. By configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals may be directed out of the chip 162,the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 in desireddirections.

In an embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C maybe operable to receive wireless signals, and may be configured toreceive from a desired direction via the in-phase and out-of-phaseconfigurations. For example, by utilizing a cascaded leaky wave antennawith a plurality of cavity heights, and thus resonant frequencies, ahighly tunable signal strength and beam shape may result. For example,two cavity heights may be centered around a middle cavity height with asingle feed signal for all three heights that corresponds to the centercavity height. In this manner, a beam shape centered above the centercavity height may be enabled with an increased signal strength.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a leaky waveantenna 600 comprising the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B. There is also shown feed points 601A-601C. Thefeed points 601A-601C may be located at different positions along theheight, h, of the cavity thereby configuring different impedance pointsfor the leaky wave antenna.

In this manner, a leaky wave antenna may be utilized to couple to aplurality of power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, and/or othercircuitry with varying output or input impedances. Similarly, byintegrating leaky wave antennas in conductive layers in the chip 162,the impedance of the leaky wave antenna may be matched to the poweramplifier or low-noise amplifier without impedance variations that mayresult with conventional antennas and their proximity or distance toassociated driver electronics. Similarly, by integrating reflective andpartially reflective surfaces with varying cavity heights and varyingfeed points, leaky wave antennas with different impedances and resonantfrequencies may be enabled.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a microstripwaveguide 720 and a coplanar waveguide 730. The microstrip waveguide 720may comprise signal conductive lines 723, a ground plane 725, aninsulating layer 727 and a substrate 729. The coplanar waveguide 730 maycomprise signal conductive lines 731 and 733, the insulating layer 727,and a multi-layer support structure 701. The multi-layer supportstructure 701 may comprise the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171.

The signal conductive lines 723, 731, and 733 may comprise metal tracesor layers deposited in and/or on the insulating layer 727. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the signal conductive lines 723, 731, and733 may comprise poly-silicon or other conductive material. Theseparation and the voltage potential between the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may determine the electric field generatedtherein. In addition, the dielectric constant of the insulating layer727 may also determine the electric field between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725.

The insulating layer 727 may comprise SiO₂ or other insulating materialthat may provide a high resistance layer between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725, and the signal conductive lines 731and 733. In addition, the electric field between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725 may be dependent on the dielectricconstant of the insulating layer 727.

The thickness and the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 727may determine the electric field strength generated by the appliedsignal. The resonant cavity thickness of a leaky wave antenna may bedependent on the spacing between the signal conductive line 723 and theground plane 725, or the signal conductive lines 731 and 733, forexample.

The signal conductive lines 731 and 733, and the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may define resonant cavities for leaky waveantennas. Each layer may comprise a reflective surface or a partiallyreflective surface depending on the pattern of conductive material. Forexample, a partially reflective surface may be configured by alternatingconductive and insulating material in a 1-dimensional or 2-dimensionalpattern. In this manner, signals may be directed out of, or receivedinto, a surface of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printedcircuit board 171, as illustrated with the microstrip waveguide 720. Inanother embodiment of the invention, signals may be communicated in thehorizontal plane of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printedcircuit board 171 utilizing the coplanar waveguide 730.

The chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 mayprovide mechanical support for the microstrip waveguide 720, thecoplanar waveguide 730, and other devices that may be integrated within.In another embodiment of the invention, the chip 162, the package 167,and/or the printed circuit board 171 may comprise Si, GaAs, sapphire,InP, GaO, ZnO, CdTe, CdZnTe, ceramics, polytetrafluoroethylene, and/orAl₂O₃, for example, or any other substrate material that may be suitablefor integrating microstrip structures.

In operation, a bias and/or a signal voltage may be applied across thesignal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725, and/or the signalconductive lines 731 and 733. The thickness of a leaky wave antennaresonant cavity may be dependent on the distance between the conductivelines in the microstrip waveguide 720 and/or the coplanar transmissionwaveguide 730.

By alternating patches of conductive material with insulating material,or slots of conductive material in dielectric material, a partiallyreflective surface may result, which may allow a signal to “leak out” inthat direction, as shown by the Leaky Wave arrows in FIG. 7. In thismanner, wireless signals may be directed out of the surface plane of thechip 162, or parallel to the surface of the chip.

In an embodiment of the invention, a cascaded leaky wave antenna may beconfigured by sequentially integrating a plurality of microstripwaveguides or coplanar waveguides of different cavity heights. Thus, byplacing the signal conductive line 723 closer to or farther from theground plane 725 in different sections of a the cascaded leaky waveantenna, regions of different resonant frequency may be enabled.

Similarly, by sequentially placing the conductive signal lines 731 and733 with different spacing, different cavity heights may result, andthus different resonant frequencies, thereby forming a cascaded leakywave antenna. In this manner, the beam shape transmitted, and/orreceived, from the cascaded leaky wave antenna may be configured forincreased signal strength in desired directions as compared to a singlecavity height leaky wave antenna.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of an integratedcircuit with integrated cascaded leaky wave antennas, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, there is shownmetal layers 801A-801 F, solder balls 803, thermal epoxy 807, and leakywave antennas 809A-809F. The chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171 may be as described previously.

The chip 162, or integrated circuit, may comprise one or more componentsand/or systems within the wireless system 150. The chip 162 may bebump-bonded or flip-chip bonded to the package 167 utilizing the solderballs 803. In this manner, wire bonds connecting the chip 162 to thepackage 167 may be eliminated, thereby reducing and/or eliminatinguncontrollable stray inductances due to wire bonds, for example. Inaddition, the thermal conductance out of the chip 162 may be greatlyimproved utilizing the solder balls 803 and the thermal epoxy 807. Thethermal epoxy 807 may be electrically insulating but thermallyconductive to allow for thermal energy to be conducted out of the chip162 to the much larger thermal mass of the package 167.

The metal layers 801A-801F may comprise deposited metal layers utilizedto delineate leaky wave antennas in and/or on the chip 162, the package167, and the printed circuit board 171. The metal layers 801A-801F maybe utilized to communicate signals between the chip 162 to devices inthe package 167, the printed circuit board 172, and/or to externaldevices via leaky wave antennas integrated in the chip 162. In addition,the leaky wave antennas 809A-809D may comprise conductive and insulatinglayers integrated in and/or on the chip 162 to enable communication ofsignals horizontally in the plane of the chip 162, as illustrated by thecoplanar waveguide 730 described with respect to FIG. 7.

In an embodiment of the invention, the spacing between pairs of metallayers, for example 801A and 801B, 801C and 801D, and 801E and 801F, maydefine vertical resonant cavities of leaky wave antennas. In thisregard, a partially reflective surface, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, forexample, may enable the resonant electromagnetic mode in the cavity toleak out from that surface. In this manner, leaky wave antennas may beoperable to communicate wireless signals to and/or from the chip 162 tothe package 167 and/or the printed circuit board 171, and/or to externaldevices.

The spacing between the metal layers may be different in sections of theleaky wave antenna, such as between the metal layers 801A and 801Bdefining the cascaded leaky wave antenna 809E with cavity heights h₁,h₂, and h₃. The different cavity heights in the same leaky wave antennamay enable increased signal strength in configurable directions from thesurface of the cascaded leaky wave antenna 809E in the package 167.

Similarly, metal layers may be integrated in a coplanar waveguideconfiguration with different lateral spacing in each section, such asthe coplanar spacing of h₁, h₂, and h₃ defining the cascaded leaky waveantenna 809A. In this manner, different cavity heights in the same leakywave antenna may enable increased signal strength in configurabledirections parallel to the surface of the cascaded leaky wave antenna809A in the chip 162.

The metal layers 801A-801F may comprise microstrip structures asdescribed with respect to FIG. 7. The region between the metal layers801A-801F may comprise a resistive material that may provide electricalisolation between the metal layers 801A-801F thereby creating a resonantcavity.

The number of metal layers is not limited to the number of metal layers801A-801F shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, there may be any number oflayers embedded within and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171, depending on the number of leaky waveantennas, traces, waveguides and other devices fabricated.

The solder balls 803 may comprise spherical balls of metal to provideelectrical, thermal and physical contact between the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. In making the contactwith the solder balls 803, the chip 162 and/or the package 167 may bepressed with enough force to squash the metal spheres somewhat, and maybe performed at an elevated temperature to provide suitable electricalresistance and physical bond strength. The thermal epoxy 807 may fillthe volume between the solder balls 803 and may provide a high thermalconductance path for heat transfer out of the chip 162.

In operation, the chip 162 may comprise an RF front end, such as the RFtransceiver 152, described with respect to FIG. 1, and may be utilizedto transmit and/or receive RF signals, at 60 GHz, for example. The chip162 may be electrically coupled to the package 167, which may beelectrically coupled to the printed circuit board 171. In instanceswhere high frequency signals, 60 GHz or greater, for example, may becommunicated between blocks or regions in the chip 162 and/or to andfrom the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 172to external devices, leaky wave antennas may be utilized. Accordingly,the leaky wave antennas 809A-809C integrated on or within the chip 162may be enabled to communicate signals from regions or sections withinthe chip 162 to other regions in the chip 162 and/or to devices in thepackage 167 via the leaky wave antenna 809E or the printed circuit board171 via the leaky wave antenna 809F.

The leaky wave antennas 809A-809C may comprise coplanar waveguidestructures, for example, and may be operable to communicate wirelesssignals in the horizontal plane, parallel to the surface of the chip162. In this manner, signals may be communicated between disparateregions of the chip 162 without the need to run lossy electrical signallines. The leaky wave antennas 809D-809F may comprise microstripwaveguide structures, for example, that may be operable to wirelesslycommunicate signals perpendicular to the plane of the supportingstructure, such as the chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171. In this manner, wireless signals may be communicatedbetween the chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board171.

The integration of leaky wave antennas in the chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171 may result in the reduction of strayimpedances when compared to wire-bonded connections between structuresas in conventional systems, particularly for higher frequencies, such as60 GHz. In this manner, volume requirements may be reduced andperformance may be improved due to lower losses and accurate control ofimpedances via switches in the chip 162 or on the package 167, forexample.

In an embodiment of the invention, cascaded leaky wave antennas, such asthe cascaded leaky wave antennas 809A and 809E, may be integrated in thechip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 172. Byutilizing a single input signal for each section of the cascaded leakywave antenna, the signal strength above the section of the leaky waveantenna that corresponds to the input signal may be increased due to theaddition of the signals from adjacent sections of the leaky waveantenna. The location of the maximum signal strength may be varied bychanging the feed signal frequency. In this manner, the beam shape, theintensity transmitted, and the location of maximum transmission may beconfigured by utilizing a cascaded leaky wave antenna in the chip 162,the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 172.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingvia cascaded leaky wave antennas integrated in an integrated circuit, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 9, instep 903 after start step 901, one or more cascaded leaky wave antennasmay be configured to communicate wireless signals by coupling to RFpower amplifiers of low noise amplifiers, for example. In step 905, highfrequency signals at a frequency that corresponds to a desired locationin the cascaded leaky wave antenna may be communicated to each sectionof the cascaded leaky wave antenna. In step 907, signals may becommunicated via the cascaded leaky wave antennas in the chip, thepackage, and/or the printed circuit board. In step 909, in instanceswhere the wireless device 150 is to be powered down, the exemplary stepsmay proceed to end step 911. In step 909, in instances where thewireless device 150 is not to be powered down, the exemplary steps mayproceed to step 903 to configure the leaky wave antenna at a desiredfrequency.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forcommunicating RF signals using one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas164A-164C, 400, 420, 440, 600, and 809A-809F in a wireless device 150.The cascaded leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 440, 600, and809A-809F may comprise a plurality of cavity heights h₁, h₂, h₃integrated in metal layers 201A, 201B, 300, 320, 723, 725, 731, 733, and801A-801F in a multi-layer support structure 162, 167, an/or 171 in thewireless device 150. The multi-layer support structure 162, 167, an/or171 may comprise an integrated circuit 162, an integrated circuitpackage 167, and/or a printed circuit board 171. The cascaded leaky waveantennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 440, 600, and 809A-809F may be configuredto transmit the wireless signals at a desired angle from the surface ofthe multi-layer support structure 162, 167, and/or 171. The cascadedleaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 440, 600, and 809A-809F maycomprise microstrip waveguides 720, where the plurality of cavityheights h₁, h₂, h₃ of the cascaded leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400,420, 440, 600, and 809A-809F may be dependent on distances betweenconductive lines 723 and 725 in the microstrip waveguides 720. The leakywave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 440, 600, and 809A-809F may comprisecoplanar waveguides 730, where the plurality of cavity heights h₁, h₂,h₃ of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 440, 600, and809A-809F is dependent on distances between conductive lines 731 and 733in the coplanar waveguides 730. A beam shape of the communicated RFsignals may be configured utilizing a frequency of a signal communicatedto the one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420,440, 600, and 809A-809F.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for cascadedleaky wave antennas on an integrated circuit, integrated circuitpackage, and/or printed circuit board.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for communication, the method comprising: in a wirelesscommunication device comprising one or more cascaded leaky wave antennasintegrated with a multi-layer support structure: communicating RFsignals via said one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas, whereincavity heights within metal layers of said multi-layer support structurecontrol a resonant frequency of said one or more cascaded leaky waveantennas.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said multi-layersupport structure comprises an integrated circuit.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said multi-layer support structurecomprises an integrated circuit package.
 4. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said multi-layer support structure comprises a printedcircuit board.
 5. The method according to claim 1, comprisingconfiguring said one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas to transmitsaid RF signals at a desired angle from a surface of said multi-layersupport structure.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said oneor more cascaded leaky wave antennas comprise microstrip waveguides. 7.The method according to claim 6, comprising controlling said pluralityof cavity heights of said one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas basedon distances between conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides. 8.The method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more cascaded leakywave antennas comprise coplanar waveguides.
 9. The method according toclaim 8, comprising controlling said plurality of cavity heights of saidone or more cascaded leaky wave antennas based on distances betweenconductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 10. The method accordingto claim 1, comprising configuring a beam shape of said communicated RFsignals utilizing a frequency of a signal communicated to said one ormore cascaded leaky wave antennas.
 11. A system for enablingcommunication, the system comprising: one or more circuits for use in awireless device comprising one or more cascaded leaky wave antennasintegrated with a multi-layer support structure, said one or morecircuits being operable to communicate RF signals via said one or morecascaded leaky wave antennas, wherein cavity heights integrated withinmetal layers of said multi-layer support structure control a resonantfrequency of said one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas.
 12. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein said multi-layer support structurecomprises an integrated circuit.
 13. The system according to claim 11,wherein said multi-layer support structure comprises an integratedcircuit package.
 14. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidmulti-layer support structure comprises a printed circuit board.
 15. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits areoperable to configure said cascaded leaky wave antennas to transmit saidRF signals at a desired angle from a surface of said multi-layer supportstructure.
 16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one ormore cascaded leaky wave antennas comprise microstrip waveguides. 17.The system according to claim 16, wherein said one or more circuits areoperable to control said plurality of cavity heights of said one or morecascaded leaky wave antennas based on distances between conductive linesin said microstrip waveguides.
 18. The system according to claim 11,wherein said one or more leaky wave antennas comprise coplanarwaveguides.
 19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said one ormore circuits is operable to control said plurality of cavity heights ofsaid one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas based on distances betweenconductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 20. The system accordingto claim 19, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to configurea beam shape of said communicated RF signals utilizing a frequency of asignal communicated to said one or more cascaded leaky wave antennas.